I Turn 25 Today.

I have now spent a quarter century on Earth. During these 25 years, I have experienced and accomplished a lot, and here's a short list of some of my good and bad accomplishments:

In 25 I have...
- grown a meter and gained about sixty kilos
- been in school for 17 years
- passed the exams for an AB driver's lisence
- smoked a cigar
- graduated secondary school
- gained a university degree and two other degrees
- stayed up for three days in a row
- slept 24 h straight
- spent time on four continents, in 25 countries
- seen a killer whale
- seen a tiger
- seen Nicholas Cage
- ridden an elephant and a camel
- swum in two oceans
- been a fan, and met my idol
- seen a Formula1 GP live
- gone white water rafting
- killed a bird and a cat
- learned how to walk, swim, and cycle
- learned to speak many languages
- had surgery, twice
- understood the meaning of life several times, always different
- taken piercings and tattoos
- been to 4 weddings and 2 funerals
- danced on tables
- swum in a hole in the ice
- spent around one week under water
- hit a man in the face, movie style

Hopefully the next 25 year will let me experience lots more. The list of my goals is short:
- to pass my diving instructor exam
- to pay off my student loans
- to finish my Master's degree

Do You Think You Could Live in Finland?

I often hear Finnish people say that they could not imagine visiting, let alone living in, an Arab country. Most people seem to believe that in those countries, women always have to wear long dresses and cover their hair, and that men walk around the steets firing their guns and shouting out religious and political messages.

Media has created an image of Arabs as being scary, weird, and even ridiculous people. Today's political environment supports this hatred. It's totally acceptable to fear and hate the "Axis of Evil".

My own experience on Arab cultures has been completely opposite to the common beliefs. Okay, a one-week diving trip to the Red Sea is a bit different from, for instance, living in Teheran. In Egypt, I felt welcome and nobody forced me to wear long dresses of cover my hair, and I didn't see anyone firing guns on the streets. The Arabs seemed smart and tolerant towards people from other cultures. I think I could one day live and work in, for example, Dubai or Bahrein. Actually, I once applied for a job in Dubai but I was too late.

So how about Finland? Let's take a moment to look at Finland with the eyes of a foreigner (well, for most of the readers, this is the only way).
The Finnish winter lasts for six months, during which people stay inside killing their wives and themselves. They drink too much, are too fat and don't talk to each other. Those crazy people sit on the ice, hour after hour, and claim to be fishing. Now how on Earth would want to visit, let alone live in, this country that calls itself "Suomi"? Not me.

There are stereotypic descriptions about every country and their peoples, and putting the stereotype aside and really getting to know the culture is oftentimes rewarding. Don't believe everything you see on tv!

Welcome.

Okay, yesterday I opened a Finnish blog and now decided to have an Enlish one on the side. It'll take some time for me to learn the ropes, so you'll have to wait a bit...